JK Creative Practices owners, James & Kassy
JAMES L. HUSCHKA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
ELEVATED MUSIC LESSONS (VIOLIN-CELLO-PIANO)-YOGA-REIKI
James has been teaching music for over 30 years, in both the public education system, and as a private teacher, conductor, composer, and performer. He has performed professionally throughout the Southwest and Midwest. His musical expertise includes strings, voice, and piano. He has taught music history, theory and composition, musical theatre, and opera stage directing. James has extensive experience with adults and was the founding director of the Four Lakes Chamber Orchestra. James is currently the Chorus Master and Conductor of Fresco Opera Theatre.
James is a certified Reiki Master Teacher and has studied alternative and complementary medicine. He is a Yoga Alliance E-RYT 200 in Advanced Alignment Yoga, and E-RYT 500 in Raja Hatha Yoga. He serves as a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider and is currently developing JK Creative Practices 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. He is trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Tergar Institute based meditation techniques. He uses his knowledge of anatomy and physiology to deepen his teaching. Kassy and James work collaboratively on the Voice of Yoga, as well as teaching yoga and meditation.
James holds a Bachelors and Masters degree in music education with a dual emphasis on strings and voice, and a minor in piano and composition. He is also holds his Doctorate from Edgewood College in Education Administration, Leadership and Curriculum Design. His primary research focus is Ethical Leadership based in Ancient Traditions.
KASSY L. COLEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ELEVATED VOICE LESSONS - ELEVATED VOICE METHOD - REIKI
I grew up in a family that loves music and loves to sing. No training, just the love of music. I was exposed to all kinds of music including theatre, jazz, folk, country, classical, you name it. I took a couple years of piano lessons, a year of voice lessons and then, I went to college - ready for this?? - as a pre-med major. I eventually changed my major to voice in my junior year (a reminder that we all figure out our path in our own time). My only choice was a “classical” voice degree where I was told that singing musical theatre and pop was “bad” for my voice. But how could that be? That’s what I grew up on. So I drank the Kool Aid like a good academic and finished my degree. A few years later, after a couple years of private voice lessons, I was encouraged to go to grad school. Back to the Kool Aid! No theatre, no pop, no jazz. Just opera and art songs (which, don’t get me wrong - I LOVE!) But a girl needs some variety.
I have been teaching private voice lessons since I was about 26 years old. When I first started teaching, I just did my best to replicate the way lessons had gone in my own training. I floundered at best. After grad school, I was taking on more and more voice students. And in reality, singers of all ages want to sing a variety of music. I needed to level-up my teaching game so I attended various voice pedagogy (the practice of how to teach) workshops and trainings all over the country. Here I got to delve into all the styles I loved to sing and as I learned, teach.
During grad school, mostly to manage the stress, I began to practice yoga. That planted a seed that slowly grew over the course of the next several years until I, for reasons somewhat unknown, decided to train to become a yoga teacher. I completed a 200 hour yoga teacher certification and then later finished another 300 hours to become a 500 hour registered yoga teacher. I taught thousands of hours of yoga classes (an industry that is wrought with its own set of issues) and began to connect the dots between my yoga training and my voice students. I remember standing in Mountain Pose and a huge lightbulb appeared over my head (well, in my mind at least) “Root down through your feet, align the spine with the head feeling lightly elevated over the shoulders, breath into big ribs” I almost yelled out loud (frowned upon in the middle of a yoga class) “Oh my god!! Why wasn’t I taught this as a singer?” So, I decided to teach this new information to MY students going forward. Over years of development, tweaking (and maybe a little swearing) I have created The Elevated Voice Method. This method works with voice users of all kinds - not just singers - public speakers, corporate leaders, pastors, yoga teachers, trans folx, and more! I developed a way to incorporate everything that I love and have studied extensively for years - breathing exercises, mindfulness practices (meditation without fear), energetic and intuitive practices like Reiki and mixed those ingredients up with my years of voice training. Because of these discoveries and the development of The Elevated Voice Method, I have had the pleasure of offering workshops all over the country including New York and VO Atlanta as well as local universities and programs. Soon, my intention is to offer The Elevated Voice Method as a training for voice teachers, choir teachers, singers, and voice users of all kinds to use with their students and clients.
My teaching comes from all of my life’s experiences. I recognize that my clients are bringing their own experiences to our sessions. No matter what you study with me I focus on helping the person with the voice (YOU) get to the core of yourself and what YOU want out of YOUR voice. Every lesson is a development of the individual. I simply offer tools that will empower your practice. I can’t wait to meet you.
